Five men have been hailed as heroes after rescuing a man from a burning vehicle on a Mississauga freeway that was captured on dramatic video earlier this week.
Ben Sykes tells CP24 that he and his wife were driving on the QEW in Mississauga on Monday when they saw a moving vehicle on fire that ended up crashing into a ditch near the Cawthra ramp.
“I saw someone with a jack in hand coming quickly towards the vehicle and then started banging on the window. And so I guess at that minute I kind of felt good that I should help out here. And so I jumped out of the car and, you know, I just did what I could to try to help right now,” he told CP24 Thursday afternoon.
Video of the incident, posted on Twitter by the OPP on Wednesday night, showed smoke rising from the stalled vehicle as five men tried to rescue the driver.
OPP say the driver, a 36-year-old Toronto man, suffered a medical episode at the time of the accident.
The five men then swung into action to help free the unconscious man from the rapidly burning vehicle.
Sykes, who was wearing a white shirt in the video, is seen kicking and elbowing the car window to try to free the man.
“…And then, luckily, there was a guy in a dump truck, whoever that was, he threw a hammer through the window and I realized, okay, we’ve got to get this thing,” Sykes said.
“So I grabbed the hammer and I smashed that window and we were able to get it open and we were thankful that the timing worked out the way it did, it was literally perfect timing.”
A 36-year-old Toronto man who experienced a medical episode is alive thanks to the heroic efforts of five men who risked their lives when the vehicle caught fire with the driver still inside. They opened the driver’s door to rescue the driver. You are my hero. 4 Jul ’22 pic.twitter.com/bwE43tMhn1
— OPP Highway Safety Division (@OPP_HSD) July 7, 2022
The men then pulled the driver from the vehicle to safety.
Sykes says the rescue took place in about 30 seconds before the vehicle burst into flames.
OPP say the driver was not injured and is alive today thanks to the men’s “heroic efforts.”
Sykes said he spoke to the driver yesterday.
“He’s obviously grateful. I’m sure everything is working out for him. It’s emotional. This week has been an emotional roller coaster. I’m sure it was the same for him. So luckily he’s in good shape and we’re all off,” he said.
Sykes added that he went into “fight or flight” mode and just wanted to help a person in need.
“I think there are a lot of people who would do the same thing if they were put in that situation. And all we can do is try to help other people and the world is a good place despite all the things that are going on right now.”
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